Wrapping device



Aug. 21, 1956 H. H. WHEELER 2,759,481

' WRAPPING DEVICE Original Filed Nov. 28, 1947 FIG.I 96

3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HENRY H. WHEELER.

ATTORNEY Aug. 21, 1956 H. H. WHEELER 2,759,431

WRAPPING DEVICE Original Filed Nov. 28, 1947 s Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HENRY H. WHEELER' ATTORNEY Aug. 21, 1956 H. H. WHEELER WRAPPING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 Original Filed Nov. 28, 1947 4 w 6 k 5 1 B 4 98 5 M m M a 1 u \/r 3 w 1 M 1 m a m xx 4 o 7 6 4 6 7 4 O I Z 6 EMU M 9 11 9 G 3 1 566 B 2 3 1413 76 7 41 4 o a 1 1 H r m. 3 W 0 ,H u Y1 A, 1 /L rr kunl 6 4 n O OH 2 B. 2 1/. 47M H A E 8 s w 1 E w 2 2 I H 4!. z o a 0 2 3 H 4/. ll 2 v M 7 8 1 2 1 G 7 A INVENTOR HENRY H. WHEELER. 8Y9? ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 2,759,481 Patented Aug. 21, 1956 WRAPPING DEVICE Henry H. Wheeler, Bellerose, N. Y., assignor to International Cigar Machinery Company, a corporation of New Jersey Original application November 28, 1947, Serial No. 788,378, new Patent No. 2,675,810, dated April 20, 1954. Divided and this application March 31, 1954, Serial No. 419,971

3 Claims. (Cl. 131-30) This is a divisional of my co-pendi-ng application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 788,378 filed November 28, 1947, now Patent No. 2,675,810 dated April 20, 1954.

This invention relates to cigar machines, more particularly to improvements in the wrapper applying device thereof which winds a wrapper cut from leaf tobacco about a cigar bunch spirally to produce a cigar.

An object of this invention is to provide a support for the bunch positioner which may be readily adjusted. For this purpose the bunch positioner is pivotally mounted on a split bracket which is clamped to a guide extending longitudinally of the housing. Upon loosening the fastening connecting the separate sections of the bracket, the position of the bunch positioner may be adjusted to accommodate different lengths of cigar bunches.

Other objects are to enclose the operating mechanisms for the various units of my Wrapper applying device in a housing which supports the rollers on an exterior portion thereof. With my construction it is possible to operate the tension plate by mechanism of the general type shown in the Halstead Patent 1,582,597 dated April 27, 1926. With the construction shown in the Durning Patent 2,290,171, dated July 21, 1942, which shows a housing enclosing various units of a wrapper applying device, a more complicated type of mechanism for operating the tension plate is required.

A further specific object in this connection is to locate entirely within the housing the shaft on which is fulcrumed the cam lever supporting the header cone or disk so that paste dropping during the operation of the flag cutter or slitter will not drip on and foul said shaft. In a somewhat similar construction for operating the header cone or disk, which is shown in the burning Patent 2,369,777, dated February 2-0, 1945, said cam lever is fuicrumed on a port-ion of said shaft which protrudes from the housing and is so located that the paste will drip on and foul it.

With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view the invention consists in certain constructions hereinafter fully described and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which tfiorm apart of this specification:

Fig. -1 is :a .side elevation, partly in section of my improved cigar wrapping mechanism;

Big. 2 is a plan view of the same;

*Fig. .3 is an end elevation of the wrapping device as viewed from line 3--3 of Fig. 1, illustrating the tuck needle mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation taken from line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the flag cutter and header cone mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a sectional end elevation on :an enlarged scale taken on line -5-5 of Fig. 1,, illustrating the wrapping rollers .in engagement with a cigar bunch;

Fig. 6 is a sectional end elevation taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1 disclosing the wrapper roller speed change mechamsm;

Fig. 7 is a sectional end elevation taken along line 7+7 of Fig. 1, illustrating the actuating means for the two upper wrapping rollers;

Fig. 8 is a sectional end elevation taken along line 8-8. of Fig. 1 showing the wrapper tension plate and its op.- erating mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a sectional end elevation taken along line 9+9 of Fig. l depicting the cigar bunch positioning mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a detail end elevation of the bushing which supports the tuck needle. and

Fig. 11 is an enlarged view in perspective of the bushing 188 for the tuck needle.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a cigar bunch wrapping mechanism exemplifying the invention, there is provided a housing 12 carrying a horizontal cam or drive shaft 14 supported by suitable bearings located in the end walls of said housing. The cam shaft .14 is driven in a counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 6 in a suitable manner (not shown). The drive gear 18 (Figs. 1 and 6), which is secured to the shaft 14, meshes with the intermediate gears 21 and 22. A hub 24 is loosely mounted on the drive shaft 14. Screws 25 passing through elongated slots in the inner ends of arms 26 and 28 and threaded into hub 24 secure the arms 26 and 28 to hub 24. On the outer ends of arms 26 and 28 are revolubly mounted the intermediate gears 20 and 22. A shaft 30 mounted in housing 12 supports a pinion 32 engaging with either or neither of the intermediate gears or pinions 20 and '22, depending on the position of the speed control lever 33.

The speed control lever 33 is fixed to shaft 34 which passes through and is supported by the end wall of the housing 12. This shaft 34 has an eccentric portion 36 on its inner end engaging a slot 38 of an arm 40 pro.- vided with a hub 42 which is integral with arm 40 and integral with the hub 24. Therefore, by manually Positioning control lever 33 either gear 20 or 22 may be brought into mesh with the gear 32. Gear 22 is a wide faced gearing having the same number of teeth at full width whereas gear 21, mounted side by side or made in one with gear 2.0, has one tooth less than gear 20. Since gear 21 has one tooth less than gear 20, a choice .01 speeds is possible which will be sufficient to regulate the rolling speed of the cigar bunch to suit the stretching required on different grades and conditions of wrappers, The eccentric portion 36 of shaft 34 has a definite lirnited throw which is sufficient to disengage either gear 20 or 22 from gear 32 but is not sufiicient if gear 32 is made con.- siderably larger .or smaller as is necessary for different models of cigars. Upon unloosening screws 25, the arms 26 and 28 may be adjusted upon hub 24 :to cause both gears 20 and 22 to properly mesh with and :be disengaged from the various sizes .of the gear 32 required for different models of cigars. Once set, however, the arms 26 and 28 remain in the same adjusted position so long as the same model of cigar is being manufactured.

A stop pin 43 projecting from the inner face of the end wall of housing 12 and passing through a hole in hub 42 engages either side of this hole when either the intermediate gear 20 or 22 meshes with the gear 32. The

speed control lever 33 when against either of the limit pins 44 secured in the outer face of the .end wall of housing 12 looks lever arm 40 through eccentric36 against stop pin 43. When the lever 33 is midway ,between these limit pins 44, that is in a neutral position, neither gear 20 nor 22 will be meshed with gear .32. A pinion 46 .on .a shaft 50 supported in the end wall of housing 12, .meshes with a spur gear 4.8 secured to and normally driven by the shaft 30 (Fig. 6). It is possible in the neutral position of lever 33 to turn the gear 48 and the wrapping rollers driven therefrom through a train .of gears hereinafter described by a hand crank (not shown) engaging a slot 51 in the exterior end of shaft (Fig. 3).

A stud 52 secured in the end wall of housing 12 sup ports a gear 54 which meshes with the spur gear 48 and drives a gear 56 secured on the bottom wrapping roller 58 mounted in suitable bearings in upwardly projecting lugs 12a and 12b formed on the end walls of housing 12. The spur gear 56 meshes with the twin drive gears 60 and 62, loosely mounted on shafts 64 and 66, respectively,

which are also supported in bearings provided in the lugs 12a and 12b of housing 12. Gears 60 and 62, respectively, drive pinions 68 and 70 fastened to the upper wrapping rollers 72 and 74.

A cigar bunch transfer of conventional construction (not shown) is provided to deposit the cigar bunch C upon the cradle 212 after the two upper wrapper rollers 72 and 74 are swung into open position by the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 7. This mechanism includes a cam follower mounted on a shaft 81 slidably mounted in a bushing 82 in the top of housing 12. A compression spring 83 mounted in a bore in the upper end of shaft 81 and seated against a bar 84 secured to lugs 85 on the top of housing 12 urges the cam follower against the cam lobe 86a of a cam 86 secured on shaft 14. The upper end of shaft 81 is connected by the links 87 to arms 88 clamped on shafts 64 and 66. Arms 89, which are also clamped on shafts 64 and 66 by screws 91 connecting the split ends thereof, support the ends of rollers 72 and '74. Arms 89 are substantially the same as arms 90 as may be seen in Fig. 1. In end elevation they appear the same as arms 90 as shown in Fig. 7. When the cam lobe 86a of cam 86 engages the cam follower 80 the rollers 72 and 74 are swung into their open positions. When the cam follower 80 leaves cam lobe 8611 the upper rollers 72 and 74 are swung in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 7 to engage the sides of the cigar bunch C. The inward movement of rollers 72 and 74 is limited by their engagement with the sides of the cigar bunch C. Therefore, various sizes of cigar bunches will be accommodated between the rollers 72 and 74, since the cam follower 80 does not engage the cam 86 after leaving the cam lobe 86a so that the rollers 72 and 74 are held against the cigar bunch by the pressure of spring 33. The arms 89, 90 may be adjusted on shafts 64 and 66 after the screws 91 are loosened, and while the cam follower is off cam lobe 86a, to engage the sides of the various steel model cigars positioned on bottom rollers 56 corresponding to the cigar bunches to be wrapped. Screws 91 are then tightened and the cigar bunch may then be wrapped.

In Figs. 2, 4 and 8 is shown the tension plate mechanism which is generally similar in construction to that shown in the Halstead Patent 1,582,597. My tension plate mechanism is provided with a bracket pivotally mounted on a non-rotatable shaft 102 mounted on an exterior portion of the housing 12. On a shaft 103 supported at the upper end of the bracket 100 are pivotally mounted the lugs 104 and 105 of a support 106. A tension plate 108 secured to support 106 is urged upwardly by a torsion spring 110 located in lug 105 and having one of its ends anchored therein and its other end anchored in a collar 112 secured to one end of shaft 103. A roller 113 mounted on an extension 114 of lug 104 rides on a cam surface 115 formed on the upper end of an arm 116 which is pivoted on a stud 117 secured in an arm 118 fastened on shaft 102. A torsion Spring 119 (Fig. 2) whose ends are connected respectively to the stud 117 and the hub of arm 116 normally maintains the latter in a position wherein the inner end of cam surface 115 underlies roller 113. Bracket 100 is urged inwardly by a compression spring 120 seated in a socket in housing 12 and engaging a lug 121 on the lower end of bracket 100. One arm of a bell crank lever 122 pivoted on shaft 102 engages a stop-screw 124 threaded into bracket 100. The other arm of hell crank lever 122 extends through a slot 125 (Figs. 1 and 8) in housing 12 and carries a cam fol- 4 lower 126 which engages the periphery of a cam 127. Cam 127 has adjustable cam sections 128 and 130 which are mounted on shaft 14, and cam follower 126 is held in engagement therewith by a tension spring 132. It will be noted that cam 127 is located within housing 12 and serves to operate the tension plate mechanism.

An adjustable stop-screw 134 threaded into bracket 100 and arranged to engage housing 12 limits the extent to which the bracket 100 may be urged inwardly by spring 120 during the rotation of cam 127. A link 1136 pivotally connected to the upper end of lever 122 has an elongated slot 137v (Fig. 8) engaging a stud 133 on arm 116. During the inward movement of the upper end of lever 122 the outer end of slot 137 engages the stud 138 whereby arm 116 is swung inwardly with bracket 100. Therefore, the roller 113 rides on the inner end of cam surface 115 until the stop-screw 134 on bracket 100 during the inward movement of the latter engages the housing 12 as shown in Fig. 8. The continued inward movement of the arm 116 due to the displacement of link 136 by bell crank 122 moves the arm 116 relative to bracket 100. The outer end of cam surface 115 is thereby moved underneath roller 113 and the support 106 is swung upwardly to allow the tension plate 108 to guide the wrapper, which is suctionally held on the bottom of a wrapper carrier (not shown), while said wrapper is being removed from the carrier by the rotation of the cigar bunch C and wound about the cigar bunch. During the outward movement of the upper end of lever 122, the outer end of link 136 engages the stop-screw 139 on arm 116 and displaces the latter outwardly relative to bracket 100 to permit the inner end of cam surface 115 to re-engage roller 113 and thereby swing support 106 downwardly with tension plate 103. The upper end of lever 122 re-engages the stop-screw 124 and swings the bracket 100 outwardly to its initial position while the link 116 continues its outward movement.

A header block 140 (Figs. 1, 2 and 4), which is of conventional construction, such as disclosed in the Halstead Patent Re. 20,355 dated May 4, 1937, has a concave face fitting the head end of the cigar bunch C deposited on the bottom wrapping roller 58 between the upper rollers 72 and 7 4. The header block 140 is secured in the lug 12a of the housing 12. The tail block or tuck support 141 (Figs. 1 and 2) is secured to the upper end of a split bracket 164 hereinafter described, through which the bottom roller 58 projects. Tail block 141 has a concave face fitting the tuck end of the cigar bunch C.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 9 there is shown a bunch positioner mechanism operated by a cam 142 secured on shaft 14 and acting on a cam roller 143 supported on the inner end of a cam lever 144 which projects through a slot 7 145 in housing 12 and is fulcrumed on shaft 102. A

torsion spring 146 having its ends anchored in the hub of lever 144 and a collar 147 secured on shaft 102 keeps the roller 143 in contact with the periphery of the cam 142. A vertical shaft 148 is connected to the cam lever 144 by a block 150 pivoted on lever 144 and having a bifurcated portion into which the lower end of shaft 148 extends. A pin 152 pivotally connects the bifurcated portion of block 150 to shaft 148, a cotter pin 154 passing through the projecting end of pin 152. On the upper end of shaft 148 is provided a horizontal U-shaped channel member 156. A bunch positioner arm 153, which has an elongated operating face 158a, is pivoted on a shaft 160 supported in bracket 164. Shaft 160 has a projecting portion provided with a finger 162 riding in the channel of member 156 and thereby turning the shaft 160 as a result of the vertical movement of shaft 148. Thus the operating face 158a of arm 158 will engage with the tuck end of the cigar bunch C to position the same longitudinally in the required position after it has been deposited upon the cradle 212 with its ends supported on the header block 140 and the tail block 141'. The sections of the split bracket 164 are held together by a screw 165 and thereby securedto a T plate 166 fastened to the top wall 13 of housing 12. Upon unloosening the screw 165 the bracket 164 may be adjusted to accommodate different lengths of cigar bunches. It may be noted that with the horizontal arrangement of my screw 165 it is much more accessible than the vertical fastenings of prior constructions for supporting the bunch positioner.

In the cycle of operations for wrapping a cigar bunch the Wrapper to be applied to the bunch is brought to a position directly above the wrapping rollers by a wrapper carrier (not shown). In order to remove the tuck end of the wrapper from the Wrapper carrier and apply it to the bunch, a cam-operated tuck needle 167 is supported by a bifurcated member 168 pivoted on a horizontal shaft 170 supported in lugs 172 of the housing 12. A torsion spring 174, whose outer end is anchored in a collar 175 secured on shaft 170 urges the bifurcated member 168 to a retracted position. Adjustably mounted on the free end of the arm 168 is a plate 176 which is slotted to provide arms extending on either side of tuck needle 167 in the space between the adjustable stop 178 and the adjustable guide 180 which are secured on the tuck needle. An annular cam 182 is mounted on a hub 183 keyed to the end of the drive shaft 14 projecting from the housing 12. Cam 182 is provided with a cam track engaging the cam roller 184 mounted on arm 185' of member 168 to rock the arm 168 forwardly against the resistance of spring 174 and thereby move the tuck needle .167 forwardly through a hollow bushing 188 wherein the inner end of the needle is supported. Needle 167 is normally maintained in an upwardly inclined position by a counterweight 191 (Fig. 3) on the outer end thereof against the upper end of slot 18% in bushing 188. Bushing 188 is supported in the cover bracket 190 and has a conical recess 188a in its outer end and a slot 18% extending from the apex of the recess 188a to the inner end of the bushing, through which the needle 167 projects. The slot 188]) has a predetermined shape shown in Fig. to guide the needle, when it is depressed from its normal upwardly inclined position, from the notch in the bottom of the wrapper carrier to the tuck end of the cigar bunch C, whereby the flexible tip 192 of the needle will apply the tuck end portion of the wrapper to the tuck end of the cigar bunch.

The cover bracket 190 is secured to the lug 12b of housing 12 by screws 193 passing through elongated slots 194 of bracket 190 and threaded into said lug 12b. Bracket 190 is provided with a vertical channel 189 extending along its inner face upwardly from its lower end, as shown in Fig. 1, and terminating adjacent the upper end of the bracket 190. A vertical slide 195 is slidably mounted in channel 189. A compression spring 187 interposed between the upper end of channel 189 and the upper end of slide 195 maintains a cam roller 196 supported on the lower end of slide 195 in position to engage with the lobe 197a of a cam track 197 formed on cam 182. Cam 197 has an annular construction and is integral with cam 182. A member 198 secured to slide 195 by a screw 199 (Fig. 1) projects upwardly beyond the upper end of bracket 190. Needle .167 projects through a vertical slot 198a formed in the upper end of member 198.

After the tip 192 'of the needle has been inserted into the notch in the tuck portion of the bottom of the wrapper carrier (not shown) during the forward motion of member 168, the attached .plate 176 bears against the base of guide 180 to move it into contact with conical recess 188a in bushing 188. In this position, the flat baseof guide 180 is in angular contact with plate 176, the plate contacting the top portion thereof. Further movement of plate 176 results in tilting guide 180 with the needle into a horizontal position, since the now vertical plate 176 will bear solidly against the flat base of guide 180. The cam follower 196 then rides off the cam lobe 197a of cam 197, and the slide 195 moves downwardly and thereby locks the needle in its horizontal depressed position. The tuck end portion of the wrapper is thus stripped from the wrapper carrier, whereon the wrapper is suctionally retained, and held against and wound about the tuck end of the cigar bunch C While the latter is revolved by rollers 58, 72 and 74 approximately 1% revolutions. The needle is then withdrawn horizontally by the engagement of plate 176 on the member 168 with the collar 178 on the needle. The Wrapper is guided and held against the bottom of the wrapper carrier by the tension plate 108 to maintain the proper tension of the wrapper while the remainder thereof is spirally wound about the cigar bunch C. Reference may be had to my prior Patent 2,235,857 dated March 25, 1941, and the Halstead Patent 2,3 76,355 dated May 22, 1945, for a suitable construction of the wrapper carrier (not shown) and suitable mechanism for moving the wrapper carrier in a predetermined path while the wrapper is spirally Wound about the cigar bunch C.

When all but the flag end of the wrapper is removed from the wrapper carrier, the fla end of the wrapper to which paste was previously applied by suitable mecha nism (not shown), such as illustrated in Shedlock Patent 863,106 dated August 13, 1907, is blown down from the wrapper carrier by suitable mechanism such as shown in the Carlson Patent 2,292,361 dated August 11, 1942. The paste on the flag end of the wrapper causes it to adhere to the tension plate 108 and the lug 108a of the latter, as the flag end is drawn Over the tension plateafter being blown down from the Wrapper carrier.

The construction of the flag cutter is similar to that shown in the Durning Patent 2,369,777. My flag cutter includes a stationary knife blade 202 secured to one end of a bracket 204 which corresponds to the bracket 1 17 of Durning Patent 2,369,777. The other end of my bracket 204 is secured on a sleeve 206 clamped in the outer end of an arm 208 pivoted on a stub shaft .210 mounted in the lug 12a of housing 12. On the inner end of a-shaft 213 revolubly mounted in sleeve .206 is secured the hub of a double-blade knife 214. On the outer end of shaft 213 is secured a driven member 216 which is normally out of engagement with a driving member or pulley 218. Driving member 218 is driven from another uni-t of the cigar machine (not shown.) by an elastic belt 219. Driving member 218 is mounted on a shaft .220 supported by an arm 2'22 mounted on one end of a shaft .224 supported by housing 12.

The mechanism for raising the arm 222 to cause the pulley 218 to engage and drive member216, and thereby revolve the knife 21-4 to slit the flag end of the wrapper, is unlike the corresponding mechanism shown in the Durning Patent 2,369,777 in that my cam lever .226 is not bifurcated. Cam lever 226 is mounted on .the other end of shaft 224 and carries a cam roller 227 engaging a cam 228 secured on shaft 14. The cam .228 has apredetermined configuration to maintain the pulley 218 in a lowered position out of engagement with member 216 on the shaft 213 carrying :the knife .214. Although cam lever 226 is not bifurcated (unlike the corresponding cam lever 129 of the Durning Patent 2,369,777) my finger 230 (corresponding to the finger 128 of said Durning patent) is pivoted on the lever 226. .A tension spring 232, which is connected to posts on the finger 230 and lever 226, maintains the finger 230 in operative position. A cam 234 mounted on shaft 14 at one side of cam 228 has a predetermined configuration to engage and lift finger 230 and thereby raise pulley 218 into engagement with member 216 to effect the cutting of the flag end of the wrapper. During this operation the cam .roller 227 is lifted off cam 228. When finger 230 drops off the lobe 234a of cam 234 the pulley 218 is disengaged from the driven member 216 and a stop screw 236 on arm 2'22 drops into engagement with a pin 238 secured in housing -12. 'Since the construction of my cam T2321 is similar to the corresponding earn 132 of the above-men- 7 tioned ,Durning Patent 2,369,777, further description thereof is deemed unnecessary. It may be noted that the re-engagement of cam 228 with cam roller 227 lifts the stop screw 236 off pin 238.

A header cone 250 secured in the free end of an arm 252 serves in its operative position to apply the flag end of the wrapper after it is slit by knives 202 and 214 to the head end of the cigar bunch. The other end of arm 252 is connected to a cam lever 254 which is mounted on a shaft 256 secured in housing 12 at an inclination to the axis of the cigar bunch C. Lever 254 has an arm 258 which is normally held in engagement with the free end of cam lever 226 by a torsion spring 260 mounted on shaft 256 and having its ends anchored in the hub of lever 254 and a collar 262 secured on shaft 256. The header cone 250 is thereby maintained out of operative position until the finger 230 rides off the cam lobe 23411 of cam 234 and thereby disengages the cam lever 226 from the arm 258 of the lever 254. Thus the torsion spring 260 will swing the lever 254 upwardly and press the header cone 250 against the slit flag end of the wrapper. The flag end of the wrapper will be applied to head end of the cigar bunch C. The header cone will thus serve to press and smooth and thereby finish the application of the wrapper to the cigar bunch C.

It will be noted that the shaft 256 is mounted within the housing 12. Therefore, when the shaft 256 is covered by a removable section (not shown) of housing 12, it will not be fouled by excess paste dripping from the flag end of the wrapper. Lever 254 extends through slot 255 of housing 12.

In the operation of my wrapper applying device the tuck end of a wrapper W (Fig. is stripped from a wrapper carrier (not shown) and wound about the tuck end of the cigar bunch C by the tuck needle 167. The remainder of the wrapper is guided over the tension plate 108 while being wound about the cigar bunch by the rotation thereof produced by rollers 53, 72 and 74 until the flag end of the wrapper is blown down from the wrapper carrier upon the tension plate. The flag end of the wrapper is then slit by the coaction of the knives 202 and 214 and applied to the head end of the bunch by the header disk 250 to form a cigar.

The side rollers 72 and '74 are then moved outwardly away from the cigar. The cigar is now lifted off the bottom roller 58 by mechanism, which will now be described, into position to be picked up by the cigar transfer (not shown) and removed. A pair of U-shaped lift bars 212 (Figs. 1 and 5) have bifurcated ends 211 engaging circumferential slots in eccentric collars 214 clamped to shafts 64 and 66 by screws 215 passing through the split portions of collars 214. Thus the bars 212 will be raised and their ends will lift the cigar off the roller 53 when the shafts 64 and 66 are turned to disengage the upper wrapping rollers 72 and '74 from the sides of the cigar to permit easy grasping and removal thereof by the cigar transfer (not shown). The position of collars 214 upon shaft 64 and 66 may be regulated after unloosening the screws 215, to regulate the distance the cigar is lifted by bars 214.

I claim:

1. In a three roll wrapping device for applying a wrapper to a cigar bunch, the combination with a header block arranged to support the head end of a cigar bunch about which a Wrapper is to be spirally wound, of operating mechanisms for said wrapping rolls, a housing having a top wall positioned beneath said wrapping rolls to protect the operating mechanisms therefor, a horizontal support on said housing, a bracket which is split into bracket sections adjustably mounted on said horizontal support, said horizontal support being secured throughout its length beneath said wrapping rolls and against the top wall of said housing and extending longitudinally of said cigar bunch and said bracket being adjustable longitudinally of' said horizontal support, a tail block mounted on said bracket and adapted to support the tuck end of said cigar bunch, and a movable member pivoted on said bracket and adapted to engage the tuck end of said cigar bunch and thereby position the head end thereof in a predetermined position on said header block, and a fastening extending horizontally through said bracket sections for securing said bracket in various adjusted positions on said horizontal support whereby cigar bunches of various lengths may be supported on said header block and tail block.

2. In a device for applying a wrapper to a cigar bunch, the combination with a housing having a top wall, of a series of rollers supported upon said housing and coacting to revolve a cigar bunch to which a wrapper is to be applied, a shaft revolubly mounted in said housing and extending longitudinally of said rollers, cam means mounted on said shaft, an adjustable bracket secured throughout its length beneath said rolls and against the top wall of said housing adjacent the tuck end of the cigar, said bracket extending longitudinally of said rollers, a tail block mounted on said bracket and adjustable longitudinally of said rollers, a movable member pivoted on said bracket and adapted to engage the tuck end of a cigar bunch rotating in said rollers to thereby position the head end thereof in a predetermined position, a vertically reciprocable member extending through said housing, and instrumentalities connecting the outer end of said member to said movable pivoted member to move said pivoted member in any of the adjusted positions of said bracket, means within said housing engaging the end of said vertically reciprocable member to operate it from said cam means on said longitudinally supported shaft, said housing having a slot adjacent said cam means, a bell crank lever fulcrumed on an exterior portion of said housing, said lever having an inner arm projecting through said slot and an outer arm extending upwardly from said fulcrum, said inner arm engaging said cam means to rock said bell crank lever, a tension plate, mechanism operated by the outer end of said bell crank lever to maintain said tension plate in operative position to guide a wrapper While it is being applied to a cigar bunch rotating in said rollers, a pivot shaft located within said housing, and a further lever fulcrumed on said pivot shaft in said housing and extending from said housing, said last-named lever supporting a header disk at its one end and said other end being operated from said cam means on said longitudinally mounted shaft so that a cigar bunch may be properly positioned in said rollers by said tail block and rotated by said rollers while a wrapper is applied thereto by said tension plate and said header disk and waste materials are prevented from dropping from said rollers onto said pivot shaft, said longitudinally mounted shaft and said cam means.

3. In a device for applying a wrapper to a cigar bunch, the combination with a housing having a top wall, of a series of rollers supported upon said housing and co-acting to revolve a cigar bunch to which a wrapper is to be applied, a shaft revolubly mounted in said housing and extending longitudinally of said rollers, cam means mounted on said shaft, an adjustable bracket secured throughout its length beneath said wrapping rolls and against the top Wall of said housing adjacent the tuck end of the cigar, said bracket extending longitudinally of said rollers, a tail block mounted on said bracket and adjustable longitudinally of said rollers, a movable member pivoted on said bracket and adapted to engage the tuck end of a cigar bunch rotating in said rollers to thereby position the head end thereof in a predetermined position, a movable member extending through said housing, and instrumentalities connecting the outer end of said member to said movable pivoted member to move said pivoted member in any of the adjusted positions of said bracket, means within said housing engaging the end of said movable member to operate it from said cam means on said longitudinally supported shaft, said housing having a slot adjacent said cam means, a bell crank lever fulcrumed on an exterior portion of said housing, said lever having an inner arm projecting through said slot and an outer arm extending upwardly from said fulcrum, said inner arm engaging said cam means to rock said bell crank lever, a tension plate, mechanism operated by the outer end of said bell crank lever to maintain said tension plate in operative position to guide a wrapper while it is being applied to a cigar bunch rotating in said rollers, and a further lever fulcrumed in said housing and extending therethrough, said last-named lever supporting a header disk at its one end and said other end being operated from said cam means on said longitudinally mounted shaft so that a cigar bunch may be properly positioned in said rollers by said tail block and rotated by said rollers While a wrapper is applied thereto by said 10 tension plate and said header disk and waste materials are prevented from dropping from said rollers onto said longitudinally mounted shaft and said cam means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,355 Halstead May 4, 1937 444,852 Richards Jan. 20, 1891 660,865 Moonelis Oct. 30, 1900 1,582,597 Ha'lstead Apr. 27, 1926 1,608,071 Rundell Nov. 23, 1926 1,829,238 Sandberg Oct. 27, 1931 2,290,171 Durning July 21, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 664,423 Germany Sept. 21, 1938 

